Bâton Rouge at the Morse’s Teas Building

Halifax, NS

Bâton Rouge restaurants are accustomed to a fixed pallet of design and materials when constructing their national brand-based establishments typically located in suburban business parks with plenty of available square footage and low density on a single storey.

This renovation required extreme sensitivity in the management of two competing mandates: 1) the respect for and preservation of an historic architectural archive of significant heritage and beauty, and 2) the intervention of a nationalized commercial design brand accustomed to ground-up construction in suburban retail/business parks unaccustomed to a heritage preservation mandate. While these competing mandates posed a challenge from a client standpoint, they provided opportunity for the design team.

The result is a rich environment that reshaped the brand’s perspective on the commercial value of preservation, sustainability, urbanism and heritage.

“This is our first restaurant where we gave some good latitude to the architect. I think we’re going to go that way from here on.”
– Demetri Tsigos, COO, Bâton Rouge Restaurants, The Chronicle Herald, June 14, 2011

“It’s a beautiful spot… the decor and outfitting is so very classy yet cleverly in keeping with the historic property.”
– Jeremy Webb, columnist, The Chronicle Herald, June 19, 2011

Photography: Heather Ingram-Kaiser. Last two images, by William Nycum & Associates Ltd.